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GivingTuesday kicks off giving season

GivingTuesday, a collaborative effort on November 28 designed to celebrate giving, get more people to think about giving, and encourage the donation of time and resources, generated broad support from grassroots groups, corporate and retail leaders, and social entrepreneurs, organizers say.

The effort included over 2,500 charities, volunteer groups, corporations, community centers and foundations, and featured activities and campaigns in all 50 states.

The event, held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, aimed to focus Americans’ attention on giving during the traditional start of the year’s biggest season of giving and consumer spending, a season that in recent years has begun with the two biggest shopping days of the year — “Black Friday,” or the day after Thanksgiving, and “Cyber Monday” three days later.

Blackbaud, a provider of software and services for nonprofits, and one of the event’s organizers, reported $10 million in online donations on November 27, the inaugural GivingTuesday

And Network for Good, which processes donations for tens of thousands of nonprofits through their websites and partners like Crowdrise and YourCause, reported that giving November 27 more than doubled compared to giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving last year.

Conversations about GivingTuesday reach millions of people through a coordinated social media effort, organizers say.

That effort included a “Social Media Ambassadors” program; special blog series; platforms designed to help participants share information, tools and best practices; and conversation on Twitter and Facebook.

The social media effort included thousands of posts and photos illustrating a range of ways that people donated or gave back on November 27, and on plans to support causes throughout the holiday season.